A common misconception. See post #95...
Source site says this:
http://darwinawards.com/rules
Rules
So how are the Darwin Awards actually determined?
Nominees significantly improve the gene pool by eliminating themselves from the human race in an obviously stupid way. They are self-selected examples of the dangers inherent in a lack of common sense, and all human races, cultures, and socioeconomic groups are eligible to compete. Actual winners must meet the following criteria:
Reproduction--- Out of the gene pool: dead or sterile.
Excellence--- Astounding misapplication of judgment.
Self-Selection--- Cause one's own demise.
Maturity--- Capable of sound judgment.
Veracity--- The event must be true.
Related trivia note:
I've been online long enough to know that Wendy Northcutt didn't have the first Darwin Awards site; it was originally done by a couple of guys who put together a list of 'em but due to reasons unknown (graduation, perhaps?), they stopped maintaining it.
Enter the enterprising Ms. Northcutt, who ran with the then-dormant idea and made a career (and rather good income) with it.
I'd post the page source, but it misbehaves in preview, and I'm not inclined to hand-fix a bunch of HTML unless I'm getting paid to do so.